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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. current — electric
  13. spring — the season
  14. clip — for paper
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. spring — of water
  18. clip — a video
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wake — a trail
  23. current — of water
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com